One Headlight
by wowsugarpuss
Summary: When Veronica runs away Duncan and Logan team up to find her. Post-S1 AU.


**1.**

It's almost two in the morning when Duncan turns up on Logan's doorstep with a map of the United States and a flashlight. Surprisingly Logan opens his own front door because the help are all at home and Trina is deep into her beauty sleep. Logan's slurring heavily with bleary eyes and pajama pants when he greets Duncan.

"Hey, man, you're like _way_ late. Party's done."

Duncan wastes no time, cutting to the chase. "We have to find Veronica."

"Huh?"

"She's missing. I went to her house and there was nobody there but the door was open and there was a note. She's gone."

Logan rolls his eyes. "Good."

"You don't mean that."

Mostly Duncan just hopes that Logan doesn't mean it, because truthfully he doesn't much feel like driving around California on his own in search of his ex-girlfriend. It would be nice to have some company and who better than another of her exes? Maybe he and Logan could bond over their Veronica-related heartaches. Or, you know, maybe not but it was quite a nice theory and Duncan can't think of anyone else who would actually go looking for Veronica with him.

It takes Duncan almost five minutes to convinced Logan that looking for Veronica will be more fun than dealing with a hangover _and_ Trina. It takes Logan almost fifteen minutes to get dressed during which time Duncan sits in the lounge and eyes the mess left by the Sheriff's department. Most of it has been cleaned by the help but there's still some stuff that looks pretty ransacked, among them is Aaron's awards cabinet and Duncan secretly – or not so secretly because there's no one there to actually voice the thought to anyway – wonders if Logan might be responsible for that. It would be the kind of cliché he'd probably get a kick out of, Hollywood wild-child taking out his pent up frustrations by trashing a room.

When Logan totters down the stairs he still looks really, really bad and the buttons on his shirt are shoved into buttonholes at random, two missing and one in the wrong hole. He's a state and Duncan wonders if this constitutes kidnapping. Either way he'll probably have to put up with shit from Logan when the other boy realizes what he's agreed to.

"Come _on_, man. If we're gonna go, let's _go_!"

Duncan winces at Logan's volume, but he probably doesn't have to bother worrying, after all knowing the Echolls Trina probably knocks back a few sleeping pills after dinner. She's unlikely to wake up and even less likely to wake up and actually give a damn.

Logan leaves Duncan to close his front door, climbing awkwardly into the SUV with the 'fuck yeah!' attitude that can only really be experienced by someone who is still sufficiently buzzed and sleep deprived.

**2.**

As his gaze flicks over to a slightly more complacent Logan resting his head against the shaking window it suddenly occurs to Duncan that he's about to reunite Logan and Veronica. Well, that's just… great. Really, really great.

Duncan thinks that even if his parents had told him about their fears – and he had turned himself in for Lilly's murder – Logan and Veronica probably would have still gotten together, a tag team in his justice turning into something more. So, there must be something like fate to them and maybe he should start to accept it – swallow his friends' happiness like another bitter pill his mother fed him.

He wouldn't put it past Celeste to have sold her soul to the Devil just to keep Veronica Mars away from her son. Either that or Duncan is just _really_ unlucky in love, what with his slew of misunderstandings and bad timings.

The radio blasts the mellow tones of a man whisper-singing: _Me and Cinderella, we'll put it all together_. Logan definitely gets to be Cinderella in this scenario, Duncan decides. He has lost way more physically, emotionally (hey, Duncan has just won the jackpot now that he's no longer an incestuous rapist) and plus Logan is closer to blond.

Although Duncan admits that the Wallflowers are not bad driving music, this song is way too depressing for this particular trip – and it looks like it might actually be lulling Logan into unconsciousness. Not good. He switches the radio to some awful techno channel and Logan – no longer close to unconsciousness – looks like he might actually bite Duncan.

His face is kind of red, flushed, and he doesn't look happy.

Duncan switches the station to something more soothing but he can't help but wince as Logan throws himself across the car and vomits all down the backseat. He keeps driving but the choking sounds and acidic smell are making him a little nauseous himself – they aren't even five miles out of Neptune yet. However, about ten miles out of Neptune there's a small gas station and since Logan's thrown up twice over his newly detailed upholstery Duncan decides that now is as good a time as any to fill up the tank properly and kick Logan out of the car so that they can clean it up a bit. Maybe just kick Logan out of the car completely if he doesn't stop whining and gagging into the back of his hand.

The clean up isn't really as successful as either of them hoped and Logan isn't much use as he throws up once more into a trashcan beside the actual station. Eventually Duncan tires of trying to get rid of the smell and goes inside to pay for his gas and buy some snacks – lots of snacks, just to spite Logan for the vomiting. He buys one of those disgusting pine fresh air-fresheners to hang in the car but the smell is so acrid that it's worse than the fake odor of stomach acid and Logan promptly throws it out the window when they pull away.

Duncan thinks that he'd probably be somewhere at the side of the road trying to walk back to Neptune if he'd thrown up in the X-Terra. Logan does love his car.

Duncan has maps and lots of bottled water and a compass (even though he doesn't know how to use it) and a tent in the trunk. He has some spare clothes and his cell phone and his wallet and a picture of Veronica to show to strangers – just in case they might recognize her, although knowing Veronica she will be in disguise or something. Duncan thinks that the next time he and Logan watch _Alias_ they should pick up some tips rather than just ogling Jennifer Garner. But they probably still wouldn't be as stealth as Veronica who seems to have the spy game down to a fine art, Duncan thinks it's kind of hot, Logan _must_ do but it doesn't seem like an appropriate conversation starter right at this very minute.

Logan thinks his cell phone and wallet might be in the back pocket of his pants but he's too drunk-slash-hung-over to check and there's no way Duncan's checking for him. Anyway, if they run through all three of Duncan's credit cards then that's probably a sign that it's time to go home. At least they have snacks now, he muses.

"Do we even know where we're going?" Logan's head is between his knees and his voice comes out as more of a pained moan.

Duncan thinks back to Veronica's, he's already gone over everything he saw with Logan but maybe there are clues to be gleaned other than the note saying she was leaving. "I think she might be in France. I mean, I don't think Veronica takes French, why would she have a phrasebook on her kitchen counter?"

If Logan's face wasn't obscured by his thighs then he might look like he's considering Duncan's idea. "Dude, are you kidding? It was right next to the _maple syrup_. Plus she would need to take it with her. She's totally in Canada."

"Are you still drunk?"

There is a substantial pause. "Yeah. A little. But think about it man, where is Veronica gonna get the money to go to France?"

Duncan takes a full minute or two to consider this before giving Logan a suspicious look. "You're right."

"Duh. So the next best thing is, like, French-Canadian. So she's in Canada."

Logan looks at Duncan as if this is supposed to be the most fail-proof logic. And sadly, it's the best idea they've had so far and that's why he ends up turning the car around and heading north.

**3.**

It is only three hours out of Neptune before Logan gets bored enough to resort to counting road kill. Three snakes, a skunk and four still kinda sticky looking messes that were pretty unidentifiable at the speed Duncan was tracking down the lonely road later and he is still counting.

"And snake makes four," Logan exclaims.

"Of all the driving games, this is the most morbid," Duncan decides out loud.

Logan ignores him as he drunkenly shouts, "Raccoon!"

The drive continues, long and mostly silent with Logan's intoxication seeming to shift depending on his mood or the amount of sleep and water he gets.

They only stop when Duncan's eyes start to blur from driving and Logan is so wasted again that he looks like he might pass out or throw up, again. Duncan thanks anyone who's willing (or able) to listen to his inner monologue for hole-in-the-wall motels along the side of the road and pulls over into the mostly abandoned parking lot without consulting Logan.

The staff at the no-tell motel try unsuccessfully to keep their smirks to themselves as the two rich, drunk boys heading to Canada check into one room and Duncan kind of hopes that the rumors get back to his parents before he gets home. He loves his mother, he does, but she needs to wind down, because if he wants to be gay, he'll be gay and if he wants to carve driftwood then his parents can take law school and shove it up—

"Woah, what'd I do?" Logan looks at the room like it's a punishment, interrupting Duncan's train of thought.

Duncan shrugs. "There's nowhere else around here, it's not that bad."

"Oh-kay, DK. But I bet ya that bed's seen more action that Dick's right hand."

"Whatever, man. Just get some sleep." Duncan's tired. Duncan's exhausted. Duncan isn't really in the mood to deal with anymore bullshit from Logan today.

Logan seems oblivious to this tension. "I am way too buzzed to sleep."

Duncan sighs and allows himself to fall down into a chair by the window as Logan flops back onto the bed with a low groan.

"Why d'you think she left?"

"Huh?" Duncan knows exactly who Logan's talking about, obviously, but it just feels like one of those times when he's supposed to let his friend explain further.

"Veronica. I mean she won why'd she take off?"

"Maybe she wanted to get away from us."

"Oops," Logan giggled coldly.

"I don't know, man, maybe she just needed to bail."

"That's not Veronica though. Veronica, like, stays. Till the _bitter_ end – forcing 'I told you so's down your throat. She doesn't just… _bail_."

"People change."

"That's such a _convenient_ answer," Logan spits the word like it's dirty.

"Look, I don't _know_ Logan. I don't know where she is or _why_. You probably have a better idea than me," Duncan admits and it _hurts_ like a slap in the face to say that out loud.

Logan looks a little shell-shocked when he replies gently, "Yeah, okay, man. Whatever."

**4.**

Duncan thinks that he needs to stop listening to Logan, especially when the other boy is drunk. It can't ever lead to anything good – in this case it's led to a wild goose chase across not only state lines but into a whole other country. Next time maple syrup doesn't get to be a clue. Duncan blames the fact that it was almost three a.m. at the time for maple syrup _ever_ getting to be a clue in the first place.

He is not at all embarrassed that he received a call from Veronica's dad telling him to get his ass back home before his parents paid Keith to come get him. Mr. Mars apparently has contacts in Canada already looking for Veronica and so far she hasn't crossed the border. Duncan doesn't know how Veronica's dad knew he was headed to Canada, but it probably has something to do with the fact that he's paid for everything with a credit card so far and been caught by at least one red light on the way out of Neptune.

"Duncan…"

Duncan ignores Logan.

"Duncan…"

Duncan continues to ignore Logan.

"Duncan, I was drunk, I probably would have said Canada if there had been a matador and her plane tickets to Spain on the counter."

Duncan remains silent.

"Dude, this is _not_ my fault."

Duncan sighs. Logan rolls his eyes. "Where we going now?"

"I don't know," Duncan answers honestly.

Logan seems to be thinking, which is probably dangerous. "What about France, man? I mean you said it yourself – she's probably there. Y'know since she's not in Canada."

Duncan is so shocked that Logan is agreeing with him about Veronica that he almost does a double-take to check that it is actually still his best friend in the passenger seat. It seems to be – Logan in all his scruffy, crumpled clothes, disheveled hair glory.

"You want to go to France?" Duncan asks slowly.

"Sure, I mean if Veronica's there we might as well…" Logan shrugs.

Duncan is going to regret making all these snap decisions based on random crap that Logan says, but right now he turns the car towards the nearest airport. His new found spontaneity can be lamented later if they don't find Veronica.

Logan looks really guilty, sat quietly in the front seat rubbing the back of his head when he turns to Duncan. "Man, I'm sorry… about everything."

Duncan looks up from the road to inquire. "Which everything?"

And that pretty much sums up what their relationship has come to. Touching moment officially ruined, Logan sinks back into his seat, retrieving a half-full bottle of Jack from the floor by his feet. Duncan is actually quite confused about how it got into the car, he figures it was most likely under Logan's jacket when he climbed in back in Neptune.

"You think that's gonna impress Veronica?" Duncan wants to be casual about the whole thing, but it feels strange to be on this side of Veronica. To be the one who's not supposed to be in love with her.

"'Cause you know my every intention is to impress the girl who thought I raped her after I offed her best friend," Logan grimaced around the mouth of the bottle.

"She accused me too and I'm not being pissy about it, I mean seriously man, can you blame her?"

"Dude, is this what everyone thinks of me?" Logan actually looks a little shocked but he masks it pretty well by being pissed off.

"No, man, it's just—"

Duncan struggles for words that won't end in Logan throwing himself out of the moving car – he is no Charlie's Angel and Duncan is pretty sure that awesome roll thing would turn out more like Logan sprawled in the middle of nowhere with three broken limbs.

"—You stopped. You. You started pretending you were an even bigger jackass than you actually are."

"Oh, _thanks_, D."

"Well, you did. Ask Veronica."

"I don't care what she thinks."

"Okay," Duncan agrees a little too easily, just to piss off Logan.

"I don't!"

Duncan goes back to ignoring him as Logan takes a deep swallow of Jack Daniels, choking a little.

**5.**

Hunger eventually starts to kick in and the pair have long since worked through all the snacks that Duncan bought back in the Neptune gas station, not to mention half the vending machine at the no-tell motel. The road is now slightly more populated but since Duncan is the only one in clean clothes and despite their showers at the illustrious motel they still look a little worse for wear from sleep-deprivation (for Duncan) and hang-over (for Logan) Duncan decides to pull into a little roadside diner and not risk getting kicked out.

Logan flops down into the nearest booth immediately letting his head fall onto the cold plastic tabletop. While Duncan studies the menu carefully. "Do I want pancakes or waffles?"

Logan lifts his head off the table long enough for a smile to crack. "I don't know, man, get both."

"But I don't want both," Duncan defends.

"So fickle, dude."

Duncan looks up over the batter stained menu. "What you having?"

"Coffee. Painkiller. Death?"

"You should eat something, Logan."

"I thought you preferred your ride vomit free?"

"You'll be fine."

"Not with a half-gallon of syrup in me." He nods towards a pile of pancakes steaming on the vinyl countertop by the cash register.

"It is kind of intriguing…" Duncan has to admit that he is tempted by the giant stack of fried batter and sticky, sugary gunk. Logan is turning slightly green.

"That's sick, dude."

"You okay?"

"Yeah..." Logan rushes off in the direction of a restroom sign leaving Duncan and his menu alone in the small plastic booth to consider some more.

**6.**

When they finally reach the nearest airport Duncan and Logan argue for a good ten to fifteen minutes about where in France Veronica would have gone. Logan seems insistent that they'll find her in Paris and Duncan just doesn't understand his firm stance on the situation. And, okay, maybe there's also a nagging frustration that he just doesn't want Logan to be right because he doesn't want Logan to know Veronica better than he does but whatever. He's not jealous of Logan, there's nothing to be jealous about. Veronica wasn't in Canada now, was she? No.

Duncan is sick of denial as he asks wearily, "Why Paris?"

"Because, like, Veronica's not that original."

"You're underestimating her."

"I doubt it dude, she's never been to France. She's gonna be in Paris."

"I didn't go to Paris the first time I went to France."

"Yeah, me either, but your parents took you. It's Veronica, she'll think she's appreciating the culture or something. I'm telling you man, she's gonna be in Paris."

"You thought she was in Canada."

"Yeah, but I'm not drunk anymore."

"That makes little to no sense, man."

"Whatever. Just get the tickets, she's in Paris."

"If you're wrong…" Duncan threatens.

"Oh, whatever, man. I bet she's wearing a beret and eating snails on the Eiffel Tower, like, right now."

Duncan buys the tickets, Logan it turns out was not completely dead to sense when they left his house and has his passport stashed in the inside pocket of his jacket and complete with first-class seats and appropriate ID the boys head to the VIP lounge to stick out like sore thumbs and nap until their flight leaves.

It's another two hours before the flight actually leaves and after a few long and awkward silences Logan finally speaks up.

"Look, D, about me and Veronica…"

"Wait, man, I'm not—"

As Duncan trails off Logan finishes for him with a wry grin. "What? Going to stand in my way? Don't worry about it man, Veronica will have that down."

Duncan doesn't think any other subject matter has made him this angry before. "You're an idiot."

"Woah, dude, what?"

"Veronica, she cares about you. You're really going to just play that off?" 

"I don't—"

Duncan calms himself, his voice more even and understanding when he next speaks. "Do you really hate her?"

Logan answers slowly, rubbing the back of his hand tiredly across his eyes. "No. It's just… easier this way."

Duncan nods tightly and turns his attention back to a leaflet on flight safety, which he must read at least fourteen times, until they eventually get ushered onto the plane.

The in flight movie makes Duncan want to die, or punch Logan in the arm because he's pretty sure that Logan probably knows some of the people involved in production and he could pass on the pain. The stewards seem to know that both he and Logan are underage (even in Europe) and refuse to serve them any alcohol, much to Logan's disappointment and grouching. Oh, and there's turbulence, so altogether the best flight ever.

Actually a lot of things about Logan make Duncan want to punch him, but Duncan doesn't think that's really fair or Logan's fault. After all the other boy has had it bad lately and it's not like he concocted some grand scheme to seduce Veronica while Duncan was away – thinking he was her brother. Okay, so it definitely didn't go down like that because Logan still doesn't know about that and Duncan kind of wishes that he could confide in his friend, but they don't talk about things like that. Just like they don't talk about Logan's dad or Logan's mom and they have never, ever talked about Logan's abuse.

Duncan forces himself to relax as he turns to his best friend. "You see the South Park reruns Tuesday night?"

Logan looks up, mildly surprised. "No, man, too busy wallowing in self-pity."

And Duncan can't help but laugh. And it feels good when a grin slips across Logan's face too.

**7.**

It isn't until they get off the plane and out of the airport that Duncan realizes he doesn't actually know any French. After all he lives in California, wealthy California where it's more than likely that your maids are gonna speak Spanish. Not French.

He chances a look towards Logan who seems to be trying his hardest to decipher some street signs. Duncan thinks that's pretty pointless since they don't know where they're going anyway. But whatever, one of them is going to have to try and hail a cab and Duncan doesn't think he's ever done that in English, let alone in French, so Logan is probably their best bet if he can be civil to the cab drivers long enough for them to get in that is.

"You know any French?"

Logan shrugs. "Some."

"Any French that's not offensive?"

"Bonjour?" Logan offers hopefully.

Duncan sighs. "Merde."

"I knew _that_."

"This is gonna be fun."

"What, you mean you don't have an unabridged French dictionary in your bag?"

"Shut up."

"Guess those three Spanish phrasebooks aren't so useful after all."

"Well I didn't think she'd be outside California."

"Have you _met_ Veronica?"

Duncan bites his tongue, trying not to scowl at Logan who seems to be really great at rubbing where salt and wounds are concerned. The next mention of Veronica and how little Duncan now knows her will result in one of the 'useless' phrasebooks finding their way down Logan's esophagus, Duncan is sure of it.

**8.**

Duncan begins to think that he and Logan are completely hopeless when they hit their fifth hotel without a sight of Veronica, it's been seven hours since they touched down in Paris and they're both tired and bored and frustrated. Then Duncan's cell phone starts ringing. It's Veronica's dad and after a few moments of awkward conversation Duncan finally admits that yes he is in France, yes Logan is with him and yes they have no idea where they are, or where Veronica might be. When Keith gives him an address and tells Duncan he just saved him a transatlantic trip but that he'd better get his daughter home ASAP and in one piece Duncan feels much lighter than before the threat.

He raises his eyebrows at Logan who just leans against a streetlight waiting for Duncan to finish the call.

"You think she's really here?" Logan sounds more hopeful than Duncan guesses he'd like to.

He shrugs. "That's what her dad said, I guess probably has contacts."

"Yeah," Logan agrees distractedly as the two boys scan the lobby.

And then there she is.

Veronica is right across the room. Duncan stands next to Logan, just watching her as she slowly turns back to them. It's as if she's in some kind of cheesy slow-mo, like one of the really bad romantic comedies that Logan's mom used star in. He kind of expects her to run when she sees them, he's not exactly sure why but it just seems like if she went to all the trouble to run away to a different continent then there must be a reason.

But Veronica doesn't run and something that looks a lot like relief washes over her face as she starts towards them, automatically wrapping her arms around Logan who looks a little stunned by her immediate affection.

Logan's arm curls around the back of her neck, his fingers threading into her hair as Veronica presses herself soundly against his chest. Duncan thinks that he should feel out of place, but there is nothing awkward or sexual about their embrace and for the first time in months, in years, he feels the way he did when Lilly was alive. When they belonged.

"You wanna come home?" Logan asks into her hair.

Veronica doesn't want to cry, so she waits to answer, "Yeah," muffled into his shirt.

Duncan puts a hand on her arm, and Veronica finally looks up from Logan with a tried smile.

"Come on," he says gently.

She nods, sniffing slightly before she exclaims, "You guys came to _France_?"

"Tivo broke," Duncan offers.

"News coverage blows," Logan agrees, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as the three of them head towards the door.

Duncan watches the smile that's tinting Logan's eyes, the way that Veronica is looking at _both_ of them – like she's missed them. Not just since she hopped continents but just in general – for a long time – missed them. And seeing Logan's palm pressed close into her shoulder, man, it still aches but Duncan thinks that maybe he'll get used to it.

Maybe he'd just like his friends back.


End file.
